INDIANAPOLIS — Regenstrief Institute investigator John T. Finnell, MD, MSc, an associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, has been inducted as a fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics. He joins a select elected group of individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to the field of biomedical informatics.
“It is an honor to be selected from professional peers by my professional peers for induction into ACMI,” said Dr. Finnell. “It is a privilege to champion informatics as a way to improve the health of individuals and whole populations.”
Dr. Finnell has a passion for training physicians in the application of computers to medicine. He directs the clinical informatics fellowship program at the Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine. The new program, which already has produced three alumni and is currently training four graduate physicians, is also supported by Eskenazi Health and IU Health.
He is the co-author, along with Regenstrief Institute investigator Brian Dixon, PhD, of the first clinical informatics fellowship textbook for physicians. Dr. Finnell served as chair of the 2016 American Medical Informatics Association Academic Forum Executive Committee and is on the association’s board of directors.
After receiving bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Vermont, Dr. Finnell completed residency training at the University of California at San Francisco – Fresno. He joined the Regenstrief Institute in 2002 as a medical informatics fellow. During his fellowship, he earned a master’s degree from the IU Clinical Investigator Training Enhancement Program. He was appointed a faculty member of the Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine in 2005 and has led the informatics fellowship program since 2009.
Dr. Finnell is a diplomate of both the American Board of Emergency Medicine and American Board of Preventive Medicine in Clinical Informatics.
An active clinician practicing at Eskenazi Health, Dr. Finnell’s research has focused on the application of informatics tools and systems to emergency medicine. Among his particular foci have been improving the ability of the emergency department to identify drug seeking individuals and providing electronic health care data to out-of-hospital personnel: from clinicians treating racers and spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Indianapolis 500 and other racing events to paramedics in ambulances – one of the first such systems in the nation.
“JT’s work to advance the field of clinical informatics and more recently clinical informatics training for physicians is setting a standard for our field, said Peter Embi, M.D., Regenstrief Institute president and CEO. “We applaud his efforts and their ongoing impacts to improve health and health care.”
Dr. Finnell joins Regenstrief Institute colleagues Dr. Embi; Shaun Grannis, MD, interim director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and investigators Paul Biondich, MD, Steve Downs, MD, and Titus Schleyer, DMD, PhD, as fellows of the American College of Medical Informatics. William Tierney, MD, former institute president and CEO, now at the University of Texas at Austin, is president-elect of the organization.
“JT is a leader in clinical informatics education and innovation, and we are pleased that he is receiving national recognition for his exceptional contributions to the field of biomedical informatics,” said Dr. Grannis.
The Regenstrief Institute’s Center for Biomedical Informatics is an internationally recognized leader in biomedical informatics focused on improving health care through informatics. The center develops and applies health information technology solutions to generate knowledge about health, disease and treatment, help clinicians make optimal decisions, empower patients, and inform healthcare policy. The center focuses on clinical applications, computer-based decision support, data mining, advanced analytics, healthcare information standards and global health. These applications and tools are widely recognized for their roles in improving quality of care, efficiency of healthcare delivery, reducing medical errors and enhancing patient safety.
Media contact:
Cindy Fox Aisen
Regenstrief Institute
caisen@iupui.edu
317-843-2275